Registered number: 09215046 Charity number: 1159589
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Reference and administrative details of the Charity, its Trustees and advisers | 1 |
| Trustees' report | 2 - 9 |
| Trustees' responsibilities statement | 10 |
| Independent auditor's report on the financial statements | 11 - 14 |
| Statement of financial activities | 15 |
| Balance sheet | 16 |
| Statement of cash flows | 17 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 18 - 34 |
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
| Trustees | The Earl Cairns |
|---|---|
| D A Good | |
| Sir David Green | |
| F A Napier (resigned 30 October 2020) | |
| L L N Macharia | |
| A E Poffley | |
| F A W Karua | |
| E B Ndemo (appointed 25 January 2021) | |
| J M Njuki (appointed 15 February 2021) | |
| L C R Curtis (appointed 17 March 2021) | |
| K C Bett (appointed 19 March 2021) | |
| Company registered number 09215046 Charity registered number 1159589 Registered office c/o Hackwood Secretaries Limited One Silk Street London EC2Y 8HQ Executive Director S Kimeu Independent auditor Crowe U.K. LLP 55 Ludgate Hill London EC4M 7JW Bankers CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ Solicitors Linklaters One Silk Street London EC2Y 8HQ |
Page 1
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
Introduction
The Board of Trustees herewith present their annual report and financial statements of Africa’s Voices Foundation Limited for the year ended 31 December 2020. These are prepared to meet the requirements for a director’s report and accounts for Companies Act purposes. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 2 to the financial statements and comply with the charity’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2015).
Our board of trustees meet formally four times a year. Due to the COVID19 pandemic only one meeting was held in person (Quarter 1, 2020), while the rest were held virtually. The Board of Trustees monitor the performance of the executive as well as set the strategic direction of the Company. Africa’s Voices continues to grow and is making a difference in places where it has its operations. While long term, large, unrestricted income is difficult to marshal, AVF has managed its work through short term service contracts that have nonetheless allowed for cost recovery to about 70%. The trustees are encouraged by the number of partners who see value in the AVF offering, with some investing in our capability. We have during 2020 opened platforms for citizen consultation and engagement both in Kenya and Somalia. In 2020 we received 427,253 total messages of which 116,432 were relevant messages and total participants were 116,432 citizens cumulatively, in both countries. That said, sustainability of AVF remains a concern for trustees who are working tirelessly with the management to create a strong resource foundation for long term sustainability. The possibilities for positive contribution of Africa’s Voices to the African governance, accountability and development scene remains immense. The trustees remain confident that AVF’s work will continue to impact positively on the continent.
Objectives and activities
Objectives
The purpose of the Charity as set out in the governing document is ‘the promotion of the efficiency and effectiveness of charities and non-charitable organizations (in the case of the latter in their pursuit of exclusively charitable purposes) operating in Africa for the public benefit and to promote the effective use of resources by charities and non-charitable organizations (in the case of the latter for exclusively charitable purposes) for the public benefit; and the advancement of education and research and the dissemination of the useful results of such research for the public benefit’.
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission of England and Wales. The Trustees further confirm that the activities of the Charity are carried out, in line with its objects, for the public benefit as described above.
Africa’s Voices (AVF) operates as a highly sophisticated and unique citizen engagement and social evidence operation. It consists of social services deliverers to listen and respond to the ideas, beliefs, opinions and behaviours of those they seek to serve. Based on applied research at Cambridge University, we use tested engagement methods for gathering citizen voices in Africa, especially from remote and disenfranchised communities and employ sophisticated research methods and technologies for data analysis to turn this data into evidence. Our aim is to demonstrate the value-add to service deliverers working with Africa's Voices to incorporate citizen feedback in their decisions. Africa’s Voices aims to become a leading research organization across Africa and to advance change in the approach of many social initiatives in the continent.
Page 2
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
Activities
In 2020, Africa’s Voices focused on growing and expanding the organisation, building on progress achieved in 2019. The organisation further advanced key offerings under the two programmatic areas, Governance & Accountability and Citizen Evidence for Social Change, resulting in engagements with at least 110,000 individual citizens in both Kenya and Somalia.
The organisation’s charitable activities in 2020 included new and continued partnerships. The following were projects undertaken in the year 2020.
1. Promoting greater gender equality and social inclusion through media in Somalia (Imaqal)- A project of Somalia Stability Fund that concluded in June 2020
Since February 2019, Africa’s Voices Foundation (AVF) in partnership with MediaInk has been implementing the Imaqal (Listen to me) project in Somalia with funding from Somalia Stability Fund. Imaqal’s aim was to promote gender equality and social inclusion through media based interventions that connected and sparked positive voices to influence social change in Somalia. Content development was guided by a theory of change allowing audiences to identify problems and seek solutions together. The programme centred on conversations around inclusion of marginalized groups such as Internally Displaced Persons, Women, Youth and minority groups; thereby contributing to participatory governance and community resilience in Somalia. Through an evaluation survey conducted in March 2020, the Imaqal has reached approximately 900,000 people via its multi-channel media campaign with at least 16% of the population aged 15+ in South Central and Puntland. The population reached is representative across all key target groups aimed by the project; with the majority reached being young women and Internally Displaced persons. The group representation was as follows: 45% are women; 75% are aged 15 to 35; 46% are IDPs and 11.5% belong to minority clan. On social media (Facebook platform), the highest page reach was 663,145 users (28 days count) whereas the average page reach throughout the project was 240,148.
2. Deploying interactive radio and SMS to enhance Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in protection of vulnerable households in informal settlements in Kenya during COVID-19 Pandemic
Oxfam-Global engaged Africa’s Voices Foundation (AVF) to enhance communication on WASH services in the context of COVID-19, through our interactive radio methodology. The insights report summarising the key findings resulting from the radio shows and SMS interactions will inform the implementation of the Oxfam’s WASH project in future.
3. Deploying the Common Social Accountability Platform to support TIS+ in Building Youth Capacity in political participation
As Somalia prepared for a radical shift in the electoral process, and a comprehensive constitutional review, questions remained about the extent to which Somali citizens, and youth in particular, are informed and involved in these activities. AVF utilised its Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) to deliver the project in partnership with TIS+. A total of 6288 individuals participated in the program through SMS. Of the 6288 participants, 5634 consented to have their data included in the analysis. 603 Facebook participants responded to the three questions posted on the Facebook pages.
4. Deploying the Common Social Accountability Platform to Support USAID’s Somalia Programme implementation
Over the last few years, Somalia has made significant advances in establishing functioning institutions to serve its people. Despite this progress, many challenges remain; insecurity persists even in government-controlled areas, climatic shocks are frequent and significant, the government itself has limited revenue and capacity to deliver services, and the resilience, stability and legitimacy of Somalia’s institutions remains in question. AVF
Page 3
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
utilised its existing Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) to enable a citizens’ consultation via interactive radio and social media to inform USAID’s programme implementation.
5. Education in Emergencies in Protracted Crisis 2019-2023 Listening to citizen voices to understand education service delivery in Somalia
Access to education in Somalia remains extremely limited. In response to the education predicament that is engulfing Somalia as a result of the complex humanitarian crisis, the weak accountability ecosystem and the new challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa’s Voices conducted interactive radio shows and 1-to-1 communications via SMS to understand the barriers to and effective mechanisms for an Education in Emergency (EiE) response that is accountable, inclusive and responsive to citizen voice. Total messages received - 28,121 Total participants - 6,585.
6. Deploying the Common Social Accountability Platform to Support the Banadir Regional Administration in Civic Education and Engagement through Interactive Radio
Between April - July 2020, the Banadir Regional Authority (BRA) worked in partnership with Africa’s Voices Foundation (AVF), supported by the Joint Programme for Local Governance (JPLG) under UNICEF, to facilitate social accountability during the Mogadishu COVID-19 response. Through a combination of interactive radio dialogues and capacity building workshops, the activity aimed to strengthen the capacity of BRA to listen and respond to their constituents through a process of civic engagement and education. A total of 1,818 individuals participated in the radio discussions hosted over three weeks by sending their views via SMS. A total of 5,754 messages were received.
7. Awareness Creation and Feedback Collection Through Interactive Radio Shows in Kitui and Makueni Counties in Kenya
Containing and stopping the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya requires equitable access to trusted, reliable information, particularly in counties outside of the main urban centres where access to information and adequate healthcare may be less available. In order to assess citizen’s knowledge, attitudes and practice on COVID-19, in partnership with World Vision, AVF deployed the Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) in Kitui and Makueni through two radio shows. We received a total of 2030 messages, from 1303 participants.
Achievements and Performance
This section highlights sample achievements and performance of Africa’s Voices Foundation over the period 2020-2021 and progress made towards the attainment of our mission, vision and our key function of placing citizens' voices at the heart of the continent’s transformation. Following the COVID-19 breakout in Kenya and Somalia in March 2020, most of our projects were tailored towards mitigating the COVID-19 risks in the community and gathering citizens' attitude towards the pandemic. Radio guest experts were involved to provide the right information and dispel rumours on COVID-19. Thousands of participants shared their stories regarding the pandemic and voiced their recommendations on how the community can be involved in the fight against the pandemic.
Our Citizen Evidence for Social Change programme through the Social and Behavioural Change Communication approach, was key in addressing the social-cultural and religious beliefs that hinder the adherence of COVID-19 prevention measures. For instance in Somalia, following the poor state of health capacity in the country, prevention was and remains to be the only option in combating the novel coronavirus. With funding from Somalia Stability Fund (SSF), and in collaboration with local media organisations namely MediaINK and Message to the Audience (M2A) we leveraged our Imaqal “Listen to me” brand to implement COVID 19 Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) response and Social behavior Change Communication (SBCC) campaign to reach most vulnerable groups including Women, IDPs, Youth and minorities. A total of 42,995 citizens took part in the radio programming and a total of 207,055 messages were received. Using our unique 1-to-1 communication capability, Katikati, we replied to 1496 questions, 693 occurrences of denial and
Page 4
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
1023 messages that represented rumour, stigma or misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, we entered the second phase of supporting girls education in Kakuma and Daddab refugee camps. Through the implementation of a 17 months project, Media And Citizen Evidence Driven Social And Behavior Change for KEEP II programme, we aim to contextualise the understanding of the normative tensions that still keep girls’ out of school despite the practice being largely disapproved. With partnership with local radio stations with financial support from World University Service of Canada, we received 9,397 messages from 2,648 participants who engaged with the programme via free SMS. From the programming, success stories of parents aborting their initial plans of marrying off their young girls but taking them to school to acquire education after listening to our radio programmes were witnessed. The radio programmes have been described as life changing by some of the participants for having given many girls an opportunity to realise their dream through education.
The resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya necessitated the government to close down learning institutions for eight months in order to reduce the infection rates in the country. AVF in consultation with WUSC agreed to leverage the existing radio shows for KEEP II and the audience built, to introduce a new series of radio shows that aim to cover issues related to child protection and safeguarding, supporting education at home, and sexual and gender based violence (SGBV). Through the messaging, AVF advocated for positive gender role models, e.g., men and boys sharing house chores and caregiving tasks at home including remote schooling and support for vulnerable relatives.
After a successful pilot of Common Social Accountability Platform in Siaya county in Kenya in 2019, 2020 saw us deploying the flagship initiative to respond to issues relevant to corruption, transparency, public participation and accountability during the COVID-19 pandemic. The content of the discussions was largely focused on health governance and healthcare service delivery.
With funding from UNDP Kenya and in partnership with national radio stations, we implemented the Strengthening Public Accountability and Integrity Systems (SPAIS) pilot project in Kenya. We deployed our approach to civic engagement through the “Common Social Accountability Platform” (CSAP), using interactive radio shows to enable citizens to hold their leaders to account by asking the hard questions. By allowing citizens to share their views by sending an SMS to a free shortcode, the approach also provided evidence of citizen opinions at scale in a form that supports policy action by authorities. The project aimed to strengthen citizen engagement in the monitoring of healthcare service delivery in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide trusted spaces for an exchange on matters related to the provision and quality of healthcare services. A total of 2,296 participants sent in 5,490 messages in the radio discussions.
In addition, the CSAP was also key in raising public awareness on conflict drivers and durable solutions in Galmudug (IOM) and to inform the 2020 World Bank performance and learning review in Somalia. A total of 1,286 individuals participated in the radio discussions hosted over two weeks of radio shows in raising public awareness on conflict drivers and durable solutions in Galmudug (IOM).
As Somalia prepared for a radical shift in the electoral process, and a comprehensive constitutional review, questions remained about the extent to which Somali citizens, and youth in particular, are informed and involved in these activities. AVF utilised its Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) to deliver the project in partnership with TIS+. CSAP prioritised the use of digital public discussion spaces, such as interactive radio and more recently social media, to achieve improvements in public levels of trust and efficacy, as well as responsiveness. A total of 6288 individuals participated in the program through SMS. Of the 6288 participants, 5634 consented to have their data included in the analysis. 603 Facebook participants responded to the three questions posted on the Facebook pages. During the programming, participants recorded that young people and women should be given the opportunity to take part in the country’s governance system.
Also, we have maintained cordial relationships with our partners and new partners including Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, have come on board to collaborate with us in tackling antimicrobial resistance in Kenya through Citizen Generated Data approach. We also partnered with Oxfam Global - Kenya and World Vision Kenya to undertake the following projects respectively: Protection of vulnerable households in
Page 5
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
informal settlements through enhanced communication on WASH services via interactive radio method and Awareness Creation and Feedback Collection Through Interactive Radio Shows in Kitui and Makueni. We received a grant of $22,700 to deploy the Imaqal “Listen to me” platform for a month in Somalia. The short assignment will focus on insights into Somalis’ risk perceptions towards COVID-19 and attitudes/beliefs on the acceptance of the vaccine. Finally, we are exploring new partnerships in other countries like Ethiopia and South Sudan. AVF’s evaluation process for the last six (6) years as well as the development of a five-year strategy (2021-2025) kicked off. The exercise aims at looking down memory lane and highlighting the successes and achievements of AVF for the last six years. In the same breath, strategies and approaches on how to carry out our work will also be designed. The final strategy is expected to be completed soon.
Finally, using our Data and Technology capabilities, we piloted the Kenya opt in database to get a glimpse of attitudes that influence Covid-19 vaccine uptake in Kenya. The database, made of persons who have engaged with AVF in previous projects and have consented to be included in the database, is now about 4,000 persons strong. About 1,500 people responded to our Kenya Vaccine Survey. No doubt, this innovation will grow in numbers, impact and importance over time.
Financial Review
The income from charitable activities in 2020 was £1,765,103 up from £1,407,773 in 2019. Of the 2020 income, £1,138k is from grant agreements, £407k is from service contracts and the remaining £220K is from charitable donations. The organisation posted a net income for the year of £42,913 compared to a net income of £119,265 in 2019. The reserves balance at the end of 2020 was £447k which comprised only unrestricted funds in line with the reserves policy. Out of the unrestricted reserves balance of £447k, £441k is held in bank balances so is liquid.
Looking ahead to 2021, projected total income is £1,694,086 of which £1,167,534 is from accountable grant agreements, £475,478 is from service contracts and £51,073 is from donations. The level of reserves is expected to increase as a result of the increase in income.
Our pricing policy reflects our strategy to ensure Africa’s Voices will become financially sustainable. However, we note that significant further core funding will be required before full sustainability from fee income is achieved.
Reserves Policy and Going Concern
The Board of Trustees of the organisation aims to maintain unrestricted reserves sufficient to meet the organisation’s working capital requirements and to meet any temporary shortfalls in funds arising from unforeseen exposure to foreign exchange losses, project disallowed costs and other unforeseen costs, so as to enable AVF to continue to meet its charitable objectives.
The minimum level of unrestricted reserves is arrived at by taking the contractual commitments we have to staff and our landlords in the event the organisation needs to be wound up as below:
-
3 months’ rent derived from the 2021 budget
-
3 months’ worth of key personnel positions derived from the 2021 budget
-
2 months’ worth of support personnel derived from the 2021 budget
-
A contingency of 30% of the above costs to take into account unforeseen exposure to foreign exchange losses, project disallowed costs and other unforeseen costs, so as to enable AVF to continue to meet its charitable objectives.
Therefore the minimum level of unrestricted reserves derived as above should currently be £152,000 which is approximately the equivalent of 2.7 months of the organisational core expenses derived from the annual budget. The targeted level of unrestricted reserves is based on the forecast operational deficit for the upcoming year if none of the anticipated income is received, plus 30% to cover unforeseen circumstances and expansion opportunities. The figure thus derived currently comes to £285,000 for 2020 which is approximately the
Page 6
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
equivalent of 5 months of organisational core expenses.
As at 31 December 2020, the charity held unrestricted reserves of £447,291 in line with the reserves policy as above. Details are set out in note 14 to the financial statements. In view of this and projected income from accountable grants and service contracts, the trustees are of the view that Africa’s Voices Foundation is a going concern for at least the next 12 months.
Principal Risks and Uncertainties
The Trustees have identified the following principal risks and uncertainties facing the charity, noted below, together with a summary of plans for managing these risks.
Financial : The dependency on grant funding that covers only eligible expenditure leaves a charity such as ours particularly dependent on additional sources of unrestricted income to cover operations, capacity development, innovation, business development and overheads. Such unrestricted income can be difficult to secure for an organisation dedicated to delivering social evidence from citizen engagement to other decision makers. The Trustees have thus pursued a more concerted fundraising effort, directed the Executive Director to pursue longer and better resourced projects with stable partners, and challenged the team to pursue alternative financial models for achieving our core charitable objectives. Meanwhile, the Trustees have employed a robust reserves policy to cope with uncertainties.
Impact of Covid 19 : The onset of Covid 19 Pandemic this year has altered the terrain for AVF in a number of ways. In March when the first case was announced in Kenya, where the branch is based, the management took the decision for staff to work from home. This decision was affirmed later through government directive to the same effect. This has now gone on for six months and staff have adjusted quite well to this new way of working, enabled by a strong IT framework that allows for remote working and collaboration. Two challenges have however persisted; internet and power outages. While these have occasionally disrupted our work, we still have met our obligations and objectives. On the fundraising front, many AVF donors pivoted support towards a Covid19 response. This provided AVF with an opportunity to showcase our capability which is particularly suited for non-contact engagement with citizens through broadcast media and mobile SMS services. The bulk of our financial resources came through service contracts or accountable grants focusing on the Covid 19 response, slowing down our ambitions to grow AVF’s work into traditional governance and accountability space in both Kenya and Somalia. To mitigate this challenge, the Trustees have led a process of developing a fundraising strategy that focuses on raising resources beyond Covid 19 pandemic response.
Data protection and privacy : This still remains a risk area as AVF seeks to sustain high ethical standards that it has set for itself and to also act in conformity with the UK, European and local laws. The Executive Director together with the Director for Innovation and Learning lead a process of reviewing and learning to keep staff aware of the risk and constantly mitigate it. In the operations, messages requiring direct urgent response are piloted by a member of Senior Management together with a Programme Officer in order to ensure compliance.
Structure, Governance and Management
Structure
The company is limited by guarantee number 09215046, and is a charitable trust registered with the Charity Commission number 1159589. The Charity’s governing document is the Memorandum of Association dated 11 September, 2014, updated by special resolution on 20th May 2019.
Africa’s Voices runs as one team with bases in the UK and Kenya, and management processes and team meetings (virtual and in person) reflect this. The organogram as of 31 December 2020 is shown below.
Page 7
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
Governance
We are governed by a Board of Trustees. During the year, our trustees were:
-
Lord Cains (Chairperson), previously board member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, former Chair of the Overseas Development Institute and Voluntary Services Overseas
-
Sir David Green, former Director General of the British Council
-
Dr. David Good, a senior academic at the University of Cambridge and expert in the social application of information and technology
-
Dr. Laila Macharia, based in Kenya and formerly Vice Chairperson of Kenya Private Sector Alliance.
-
Adrian Edward Poffley, Chief Administrative Officer of the World bank,
-
Dr. Frasia Karua, a medical doctor, formerly of Amref Health Africa a member of the Industrial Property Tribunal in Kenya as well as the Global advisory committee of Tech Care for All.
In accordance with the articles of association, a person who is willing to act may be appointed as a Trustee by ordinary resolution of the members of the Charity or a simple majority vote of Trustees. He or she must be a member of the Charity, recommended by the Trustees, or, according to requirements for due notice to the Charity for a proposal by an existing member to be elected at a subsequent meeting of the Board. In accordance with the articles, Membership of the Charity is open to individuals who apply to the Charity in the form required by the Trustees; and are approved by the Trustees.
New Trustees are inducted on a one-to-one basis by the Chairperson and Executive Director, and are given copies of the articles of association, financial reports and current organisational strategy.
The main responsibilities of the Trustees are to formulate the strategic plans of the Charity, to improve the annual budget, to monitor the financial activities of the Charity and to ensure prudence and proper governance of the organisation.
Page 8
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
Transitions
Ms. Fiona Napier, a member of the Board of Trustees, resigned from her position in October 2020. In addition, a decision to add 4 more trustees was reached in the Board of Trustees meeting of December 2020 effective Q1, 2021.
Management
The management team as of 31 December, 2020 included Samuel Kimeu, Executive Director, Damaris Ndegwa, Director for Business Operations and Anna Colom, Director for Innovation & Learning.
Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
The Earl Cairns
Date: 14th October 2021
Page 9
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
The Trustees (who are also the directors of the Charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
-
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
-
observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP (FRS 102);
-
make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
-
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards (FRS 102) have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
-
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Page 10
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Africa’s Voices Foundation for the year ended 31 December 2020 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion the financial statements:
-
give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 December 2020 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended;
-
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
-
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Page 11
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (CONTINUED)
Other information
The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
-
the information given in the trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
-
the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
-
adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
-
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
-
certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
-
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
-
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ directors’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
Page 12
(A company limited by guarantee)
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (CONTINUED)
Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 10, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Details of the extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations are set out below.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditor's report.
Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We identified and assessed the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements from irregularities, whether due to fraud or error, and discussed these between our audit team members. We then designed and performed audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks within which the charitable company operates, focusing on those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The laws and regulations we considered in this context were the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011 together with the Charities SORP (FRS 102). We assessed the required compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items.
In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which might be fundamental to the charitable company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty. We also considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the charitable company for fraud. The laws and regulations we considered in this context for the UK operations were tax and employment legislation. We also considered compliance with local legislation for the entity’s overseas operations.
Page 13
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (CONTINUED)
Auditing standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.
We identified the greatest risk of material impact on the financial statements from irregularities, including fraud, to be within the timing of recognition of contract and grant income and the override of controls by management. Our audit procedures to respond to these risks included enquiries of management and the trustees about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities, sample testing on the posting of journals, reviewing accounting estimates for biases, reviewing regulatory correspondence with the Charity Commission, reviewing a sample of grant agreements and contracts and reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing noncompliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Julia Poulter (Senior statutory auditor)
for and on behalf of Crowe U.K. LLP
Statutory Auditor
London
Date: 29 October 2021
Page 14
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
| Note Income from: Charitable activities 4 Total income Expenditure on: Charitable activities 5 Total expenditure Net (expenditure)/income Transfers between funds 14 Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Net movement in funds Total funds carried forward |
Restricted funds 2020 £ 1,137,778 1,137,778 1,246,840 1,246,840 (109,062) (13,932) (122,994) 122,994 (122,994) - |
Unrestricted funds 2020 £ 627,325 627,325 475,350 475,350 151,975 13,932 165,907 281,384 165,907 447,291 |
Total funds 2020 £ 1,765,103 1,765,103 1,722,190 1,722,190 42,913 - 42,913 404,378 42,913 447,291 |
Total funds 2019 £ 1,407,773 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,407,773 | ||||
| 1,288,508 | ||||
| 1,288,508 | ||||
| 119,265 - |
||||
| 119,265 | ||||
| 285,113 119,265 |
||||
| 404,378 |
The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
The notes on pages 18 to 34 form part of these financial statements.
Page 15
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee) REGISTERED NUMBER: 09215046
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020
| Note Fixed assets Tangible assets 11 Current assets Debtors 12 Cash at bank 17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 13 Net current assets Total net assets Charity funds Restricted funds 14 Unrestricted funds 14 Total funds |
170,296 441,157 611,453 (172,383) |
2020 £ 8,221 439,070 447,291 - 447,291 447,291 |
394,248 271,206 665,454 (270,774) |
2019 £ 9,698 394,680 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 404,378 | ||||
| 122,994 281,384 |
||||
| 404,378 |
The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and preparation of financial statements.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to entities subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
The Earl Cairns
14th October 2021 Date:
The notes on pages 18 to 34 form part of these financial statements.
Page 16
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
| Cash flows from operating activities Net cash used in operating activities Cash flows from investing activities Purchase of tangible fixed assets Net cash used in investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Change in cash and cash equivalents due to exchange rate movements Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year |
2020 £ 162,348 (2,022) (2,022) 160,326 271,206 9,625 441,157 |
2019 £ 21,538 (11,030) (11,030) 10,508 270,656 (9,958) 271,206 |
|---|---|---|
The notes on pages 18 to 34 form part of these financial statements
Page 17
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
1. General information
Africa's Voices Foundation limited is a company limited by guarantee and therefore has no share capital.
The Charity was incorporated in England & Wales and details of the registered office can be found in the reference and administration section of the Trustees' report.
2. Accounting policies
2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
Africa’s Voices Foundation Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.
2.2 Going concern
The Trustees of Africa’s Voices Foundation receive forecasts and financial projections which detail variations in the level and timing of future income and funding. During the first quarter of 2020 the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic took hold across the world. During the year 2020 the pandemic rapidly developed and the various measures taken by our funding partners and clients continue to negatively affect funding. These effects continued into FY2021.
The Trustees have considered the short-and longer-term financial projections and other risks that may affect Africa’s Voices Foundation. They have considered the key risks that could negatively impact the going concern of Africa’s Voices Foundation and have considered budgets and forecasts, cashflow projections,reserves and contingency plans.
The Trustees continue to monitor the situation closely with a view of assessing and mitigating the impact on the organisation. Africa’s Voices Foundation has undertaken a range of activities to maximise its resilience during the pandemic:
-
We have kept a close eye on costs, reviewed our operating expenditure deferring some key staff recruitment (Director for Innovation and Learning, Director for Programmes and Business Development & External Relations Manager) and certain staff benefits (e.g. learning credits) to maintain a reasonable expenditure level based on available funding.
-
Considering our 2021 outlook and due to funding constraints, AVF management will not be considering any Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) adjustment for the year 2021.
-
All costs associated with the Board of Trustees’ travel and accommodation are suspended for the year 2021.
-
We are actively monitoring reserves ensuring that our current costs do not actively dip into our reserves and ensuring compliance with our reserves policy at all times.
Page 18
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
2. Accounting policies (continued)
2.2 Going concern (continued)
-
We have also accelerated our business development efforts reaching out to partners to try and secure long term funding. Two new grants from WUSC (GBP 303K) and Somalia Stability Fund (GBP 414K ) were secured in Q3 of 2021.
-
We have maintained a laser focus on liquidity, monitoring our cashflow and cash position monthly. We are confident that the combination of the reserves we carry and the funding already committed by donors will enable us to manage cashflow volatility through this period.
-
We are performing monthly organisation-wide financial reforecasting, which we are using to inform understanding of decision making in response to the financial impacts of the pandemic. The Board of Trustees Chairman and Trustee responsible for Finance are briefed on the financial status on a monthly basis.
After considering these factors, the trustees have concluded that Africa’s Voices Foundation has a reasonable expectation that there are adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and have continued to prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis.
2.3 Income
Grants and contracts are recognised where there is entitlement, certainty of receipt and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability. The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included.
2.4 Expenditure
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charitable company in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries.
Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charitable company, including costs linked to strategic management.
2.5 Foreign currencies
The presentational currency is that of pounds sterling as this is currency of the country in which the charity is registered. The charitable activities are delivered in Kenya therefore the functional currency of the charity is Kenyan Shilling.
Transactions in foreign currencies are initially recorded at the functional currency rate prevailing at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated into sterling at the rates prevailing on the reporting period date. Non-monetary items carried at fair value that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the initial transaction date.
Non-monetary items measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are not retranslated.
Page 19
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
2. Accounting policies (continued)
2.6 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation
Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. All costs incurred to bring a tangible fixed asset into its intended working condition should be included in the measurement of cost.
Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line method.
Depreciation is provided on the following basis:
Office equipment - 20 - 33.3%
2.7 Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
2.8 Cash at bank
Cash at bank includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
2.9 Liabilities and provisions
Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.
2.10 Financial instruments
Financial assets and liabilities are recognised/(derecognised) when the charity becomes/(ceases to become) party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. The charity holds the following financial assets and liabilities:
Short term debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price and carried thereafter at amortised cost.
2.11 Operating leases
Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of financial activities on a straight line basis over the lease term.
Page 20
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
2. Accounting policies (continued)
2.12 Pensions
A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which fixed contributions are paid into a pension fund and the company has no legal or constructive obligation to pay further contributions even if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employees the benefits relating to employee service in the current and prior periods.
Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised as employee benefit expense when they are due. If contribution payments excess the contribution due for service, the excess is recognised as a prepayment.
2.13 Fund accounting
Funds are allocated between restricted and unrestricted. Restricted funds represent funds which can only be applied for specific projects as specified by the donor. Unrestricted funds may be applied for any charitable purpose at the trustees' own discretion.
3. Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgment
In the application of the company's accounting policies, which are described above, the directors are required to make judgments, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.
Page 21
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
4. Income from Charitable activities
| Project Income Donations Project Income Donations |
Restricted funds 2020 £ 1,137,778 - 1,137,778 Restricted funds 2019 £ 1,051,819 - 1,051,819 |
Unrestricted funds 2020 £ 407,045 220,280 627,325 Unrestricted funds 2019 £ 128,140 227,814 355,954 |
Total funds 2020 £ 1,544,823 220,280 1,765,103 Total funds 2019 £ 1,179,959 227,814 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,407,773 |
5. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities Summary by fund type
| Charitable Expenditure Charitable Expenditure |
Restricted funds 2020 £ 1,246,840 Restricted funds 2019 £ 942,528 |
Unrestricted funds 2020 £ 475,350 Unrestricted funds 2019 £ 345,980 |
Total funds 2020 £ 1,722,190 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total funds 2019 £ 1,288,508 |
Page 22
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
6. Analysis of expenditure by activities
| Charitable Expenditure Charitable Expenditure Analysis of direct costs Staff costs Project direct costs Board of Trustees costs (governance costs) Consultancy Rent, rates and utilities Office costs Travel and visa costs Bank charges Accountancy and other professional costs Sundry expenses Depreciation Foreign exchange differences Branch corporate tax Write offs |
Charitable activities 2020 £ 1,722,190 Charitable activities 2019 £ 1,288,508 Total funds 2020 £ 466,169 1,096,659 6,045 983 32,471 14,142 3,132 13,231 18,334 1,754 3,499 (9,625) 60,086 15,310 1,722,190 |
Total funds 2020 £ 1,722,190 |
|---|---|---|
| Total funds 2019 £ 1,288,508 |
||
| Total funds 2019 £ 442,022 691,398 16,060 5,494 32,912 17,789 21,758 14,558 21,167 452 1,416 9,958 13,524 - |
||
| 1,288,508 |
Page 23
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
7. Board of Trustee expenses
| Travel and meeting costs Management liability insurance 8. Auditor's remuneration Fees payable to the Charity's auditor for the audit of the Charity's annual accounts Fees payable to the Charity's auditor in respect of: All non-audit services not included above |
2020 £ 5,416 629 6,045 2020 £ 7,075 4,234 |
2019 £ 14,384 1,676 |
|---|---|---|
| 16,060 | ||
| 2019 £ 5,113 3,000 |
9. Staff costs
| Wages and salaries Social security costs Contribution to defined contribution pension schemes |
2020 £ 454,207 5,848 6,114 466,169 |
2019 £ 425,622 7,999 8,401 |
|---|---|---|
| 442,022 |
The average number of persons employed by the Charity during the year was as follows:
| 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| No. | No. | |
| Employees | 14 | 13 |
During the year, 1 employee received remuneration within the banding of £70,000-£80,000 (2019: 0).
Key management of the charity is considered to be the Trustees and the Director. During the year remuneration paid to key management was £77,845 (2019: £47,510).
Page 24
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
10. Trustees' remuneration and expenses
During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2019 - £NIL) .
During the year ended 31 December 2020, expenses totalling £ 5,416 were reimbursed or paid directly to 3 Trustees (2019 - £8,464 to 4 Trustees) .
11. Tangible fixed assets
| Cost or valuation At 1 January 2020 Additions At 31 December 2020 Depreciation At 1 January 2020 Charge for the year At 31 December 2020 Net book value At 31 December 2020 At 31 December 2019 |
Office equipment £ 12,187 2,022 |
|---|---|
| 14,209 | |
| 2,489 3,499 |
|
| 5,988 | |
| 8,221 | |
| 9,698 |
Page 25
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
12. Debtors
| Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income |
2020 £ 127,910 42,386 - 170,296 |
2019 £ 360,750 24,240 9,258 |
|---|---|---|
| 394,248 |
13. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
| Trade creditors Other taxation and social security Other creditors Accruals and deferred income |
2020 £ 60,313 51,447 690 59,933 172,383 |
2019 £ 24,510 - 42,828 203,436 |
|---|---|---|
| 270,774 |
Page 26
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
14. Statement of funds
Statement of funds - current year
| Unrestricted funds Unrestricted funds Restricted funds University of Cambridge Hewlett Foundation ESRC IAA Urban Institute - AHADI REACH/OCHA-CSAP-HRP Twilio SSF SSGESI Zika/Wellcome DFID EIE SSF COVID-19 TIS+ USAID/IBTCI Purpose Campaigns LLC UNICEF Nutrition WUSC_KEEP - 2019 IOM - CSAP in Galmudug on Durable Solutions Total of funds |
Balance at 1 January 2020 £ 281,384 1,740 6,465 212 64 255 114,258 - - - - - - - - - - 122,994 404,378 |
Income £ 627,325 21,430 9,319 212 - - 5,196 405,667 908 73,809 341,241 38,253 72,008 7,635 31,950 101,609 28,541 1,137,778 1,765,103 |
Expenditure £ (475,350) (21,430) (9,319) (212) - - (114,258) (405,667) (908) (73,809) (341,241) (38,253) (72,008) (7,635) (31,950) (101,609) (28,541) (1,246,840) (1,722,190) |
Transfers in/out £ 13,932 (1,740) (6,465) (212) (64) (255) (5,196) - - - - - - - - - - (13,932) - |
Balance at 31 December 2020 £ 447,291 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
|||||
| - | |||||
| 447,291 |
Page 27
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
14. Statement of funds (continued)
Funds Description Restricted Funds
-
SSF GESI - Promoting greater gender equality and social inclusion through media in Somalia.
-
ESRC IAA - NGO Data Sharing – UNICEF Somalia, Methods and Impact, Interactive web-page project.
-
University of Cambridge Wellcome/ Zika project - Contract value of £147,000 funding evaluation of two-way emergency health communications.
-
Cambridge - COVID 19 -COVID-19 Responses in Displaced Communities in Somalia.
-
Cambridge- Somalia diagnostic work. - will create a trusted two-way communications space between citizens and experts for supporting the national COVID19 response.
-
DFID EIE - Education in Emergencies in Protracted Crisis 2019-2023.
-
SSF COVID 19 - A GESI approach to tackling COVID-19 in Somalia.
-
TIS + - Building Youth Participation in Political processes during the period September 1 2020 to January 31 2021.
-
WUSC LEAP - To increase the empowerment of adolescent girls and young women in Northern Kenya.
-
USAID IBTCI - Deploying the Common Social Accountability Platform to Support USAID Somalia Program Implementation.
-
Purpose Campaigns LLC - to support targeted conversations about misinformation/stigma/rumour/denial (hereby concerning content) regarding COVID-19 in the context of work being done by AVF in Somalia.
-
UNICEF Nutrition - Complaints and Feedback Management for Nutrition Safety Net Programming.
-
Urban Institute - AHADI - Agile and Harmonized Assistance for Devolved Institutions – Kenya.
-
REACH/OCHA-CSAP-HRP - Listening to affected populations: Deploying the Common Social Accountability Platform to Citizens in Somalia.
-
WUSC KEEP - Media and citizen-evidence driven social and behavior change for KEEP II 2019– 2021.
-
IOM – CSAP - in Galmudug on Durable Solutions - Developing a Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) in Galmudug on Durable Solution.
-
Twilio - Two-way communication and feedback and accountability using SMS.
Page 28
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
14. Statement of funds (continued)
Statement of funds - prior year
| Unrestricted funds Unrestricted Restricted funds University of Cambridge Hewlett Foundation Trocaire SSF GESI Mastercard Foundation UNICEF MAAP ESRC IAA WUSC-KEEP II2018 RCO Somalia UNICEF Nutrition EU RE-INTEG comms Wellcome PE Urban Institute - AHADI REACH/OCHA/CSAP/HRP WUSC KEEP IOM - CSAP Twilio UNI-17 Total of funds |
Balance at 1 January 2019 £ 276,023 834 6,465 1,791 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9,090 285,113 |
Income £ 355,954 9,200 - - 488,191 23,206 19,262 2,900 (806) 56,892 45,478 132,661 19,000 45,035 63,015 25,311 8,211 114,263 - 1,051,819 1,407,773 |
Expenditure £ (345,980) (8,294) - (1,791) (488,191) (23,301) (19,262) (2,688) (107) (57,158) (45,478) (134,980) (19,037) (44,971) (62,760) (25,311) (8,211) (5) (983) (942,528) (1,288,508) |
Transfers in/out £ (4,613) - - - - 95 - - 913 266 - 2,319 37 - - - - - 983 4,613 - |
Balance at 31 December 2019 £ 281,384 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,740 6,465 - - - - 212 - - - - - 64 255 - - 114,258 - |
|||||
| 122,994 | |||||
| 404,378 |
Page 29
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
14. Statement of funds (continued)
Funds Description - comparative Restricted Funds
-
University of Cambridge Wellcome/ Zika project - Contract value of £147,000 funding evaluation of two-way emergency health communications.
-
Hewlett Foundation – a grant of $600,000 over three years to Africa's Voices Foundation Ltd (Grantee) for a project in East Africa to amplify citizen voice in public service delivery decision making.
-
Trocaire/ Dreams innovation challenge – Africa’s Voices Foundation Limited supported the DREAMS project in its objectives of keeping young adolescent girls in school in order to reduce rates of HIV/AIDS, by building interactive radio programmes to gather data on barriers to girls’ education.
-
SSF GESI - Promoting greater gender equality and social inclusion through media in Somalia.
-
Mastercard Foundation - Implementation of Chatter SMS Youth Engagement Pilot.
-
UNICEF Somalia - a partnership on various projects involving research in Somalia, monitoring cash transfers in Southern Somalia (MAAP) and using interactive radio to amplify voices and discuss:
-
health beliefs, misconceptions and practices.
-
gender and child protection issues.
-
nutrition practices.
-
governance.
-
ESRC IAA - NGO Data Sharing – UNICEF Somalia, Methods and Impact, Interactive web-page project.
-
World University Service Canada KEEP II Project - Overcoming barriers to refugee girls’ education.
-
RCO Somalia - Perception Survey and Social Accountability on Durable Solutions and Durable Solutions Programmes in Bossaso and Baidoa.
-
UNICEF Nutrition - Complaints and Feedback Management for Nutrition Safety Net Programming.
-
EU RE-INTEG comms & visibility - Enhancing Somalia's responsiveness to the management and reintegration of mixed migration flows.
-
Wellcome PE – Public Engagement Grant – Visualizing Citizen Voice in a Moment of Big Data. The project is to deploy and enhance a tested, replicable, scaleable, and contextually relevant social research method to gather health-related opinion data utilizing interactive radio and SMS that can both inform health policy, and be used as a channel for health communications and monitoring interventions.
-
Urban Institute - AHADI - Agile and Harmonized Assistance for Devolved Institutions – Kenya.
-
REACH/OCHA-CSAP-HRP - Listening to affected populations: Deploying the Common Social Accountability Platform to Citizens in Somalia.
-
WUSC KEEP - Media and citizen-evidence driven social and behavior change for KEEP II 2019 – 2021.
Page 30
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
14. Statement of funds (continued)
-
IOM – CSAP - in Galmudug on Durable Solutions - Developing a Common Social Accountability Platform (CSAP) in Galmudug on Durable Solution.
-
Twilio - Two-way communication and feedback and accountability using SMS.
15. Analysis of net assets between funds
Analysis of net assets between funds - current period
| Tangible fixed assets Current assets Creditors due within one year Total |
Unrestricted funds 2020 £ 8,221 602,654 (163,584) 447,291 |
Total funds 2020 £ 8,221 602,654 (163,584) 447,291 |
|---|---|---|
Analysis of net assets between funds - prior period
| Tangible fixed assets Current assets Creditors due within one year Total |
Restricted funds 2019 £ - 345,724 (222,730) 122,994 |
Unrestricted funds 2019 £ 9,698 319,730 (48,044) 281,384 |
Total funds 2019 £ 9,698 665,454 (270,774) 404,378 |
|---|---|---|---|
Page 31
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
16. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities
| Net income for the period (as per Statement of Financial Activities) Adjustments for: Depreciation charges Decrease/(increase) in debtors Increase/(decrease) in creditors Effect of exchange rate changes Net cash provided by operating activities 17. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents Cash at bank |
2020 £ 42,913 3,499 223,952 (98,391) (9,625) 162,348 2020 £ 441,157 |
2019 £ 119,265 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,416 (271,296) 162,195 9,958 |
||
| 21,538 | ||
| 2019 £ 271,206 |
18. Analysis of changes in net debt
| Cash at bank | At 1 January 2020 £ 271,206 271,206 |
Cash flows £ 169,951 169,951 |
At 31 December 2020 £ 441,157 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 441,157 |
19. Pension commitments
The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the group in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the group to the fund and amounted to £Nil (2019: £Nil).
Page 32
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
20. Operating lease commitments
At 31 December 2020 the Charity had commitments to make future minimum lease payments under noncancellable operating leases as follows:
| Buildings Not later than 1 year Later than 1 year and not later than 5 years Later than 5 years |
2020 £ 27,533 106,724 - 134,257 |
2019 £ 24,795 111,949 15,001 |
|---|---|---|
| 151,745 |
21. Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account)
| Restricted Funds |
Unrestricted Funds |
Total | ||
| 2019 | ||||
| Note | £ | £ | £ | |
| Income from: | ||||
| Donations and legacies | 4 | 1,051,819 | 355,954 | 1,407,773 |
| Total income | 1,051,819 | 355,954 | 1,407,773 | |
| Expenditure on: | ||||
| Charitable activities | 5 | 942,528 | 345,980 | 1,288,508 |
| Total expenditure | 942,528 | 345,980 | 1,288,508 | |
| Net income | 109,291 | 9,974 | 119,265 | |
| Transfers between funds | 4,613 | 4,613 - |
- | |
| Net movement in funds | 113,904 | 5,361 | 119,265 | |
| Reconciliation of funds: | ||||
| Total funds brought forward | 9,090 | 276,023 | 285,113 | |
| Net movement in funds | 113,904 | 5,361 | 119,265 | |
| Total funds carried forward | 122,994 | 281,384 | 404,378 |
Page 33
AFRICA’S VOICES FOUNDATION LIMITED
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020
22. Related party transactions
The Charity has not entered into any related party transaction during the year, nor are there any outstanding balances owing between related parties and the Charity at 31 December 2020.
Page 34